Travels of the Lute: Analyzing Primary Sources

Analyzing Primary Sources: Travels of the Lute

The following activity is suitable for senior secondary school courses in history or music.

Created by Laura Walkling, candidate in the Master of Teaching program at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education.

Description of the Activity Students compare primary sources (historical artifacts) in different media that depict the presence of the lute within various civilizations. They assess similarities and differences between the representations of the lute within the primary sources to understand how historians learn about the past.

Suitable Grade Levels and Subjects • Grades 11-12 • History, Music

Learning Objectives • Content – Musical instruments; trade routes; social structures and customs; ancient civilizations; How historians learn about the past • Students will understand the importance of primary sources in historical research • Students will develop critical insight of the origins of the lute through the analysis of primary sources • Students will understand the interconnections between ancient civilizations (trade, social structures, religious practices) through the analysis of primary sources

Background Preparation for the Teacher • Examine the primary sources (the artifacts) and the historical details pertaining to each provided in the slideshow. • Watch the video, Travels of the Lute, to become familiar with the connections between the primary sources and this video.

Necessary Materials • One copy per student of the “Analysis of Artifacts” worksheet included in this lesson • Copies of the artifacts (links are provided under “Resources” at the end of this document) • Blackboard or whiteboard • Projector • Pencils or pens • A map of the world (optional but helpful)

Step I: Analysis of the Artifacts

The students analyze artifacts that range in date (3500 BCE - 1600 CE) and place (Mesopotamia, Iraq, Egypt, China, Scotland, and England).

1. Divide the class into groups. Provide each group with two artifacts (images of the artifacts can be found in the “Artifacts” section of this lesson plan). Most, if not all, of the artifacts should be distributed amongst the class. Ensure that all labels and titles have been removed from the artifacts before distributing them.

2. In their groups, have students examine and analyze the artifacts by answering the questions on the worksheet provided. Students will not be able to answer all of the questions on the worksheet. This was done intentionally.

3. Take up the worksheet as a class. Have groups share their results:

• Which of the artifacts did their group analyze? • What questions were they able to answer? • What questions did their group find difficult to answer? Why? • What do they think the purpose was of the two artifacts they analyzed?

Step II: Watch Travels of the Lute

Students watch and discuss a video on the Travels of the Lute that provides historical context for the artifacts they have been analyzing.

1. Watch a clip from the Travels of the Lute video. Watch from the beginning and stop when the discussion turns to the discussion of the Sarod, around roughly 17:09. The link to the clip is provided in the “Resources” section of this lesson plan.

2. Review the main points of the movie using the following questions as a guide for discussion. If a map is available, plot out the travels of the oud.

• What is an oud? A musical instrument that originates from the Arabian peninsula • Where did the oud originate? Most likely from Mesopotamia. Evidence of the oud has been found in Uruk (Ur), dating from 3500 BCE. Uruk was in the southern regions of Mesopotamia, current day Iraq. They found the same shape of the oud in Uruk as they found in Egypt from the 18th Dynasty (1550-1292 BCE). • Where did the oud travel to? The oud originates from Uruk, Mesopotamia in 3500 BCE (southern part of what is now Iraq). It was found in Egypt during the 18th Dynasty (1550- 1292 BCE). The oud was developed in Hijaz (what is now part of Saudi Arabia) during the pre-Islamic period (1-400 CE). During the Islamic period which starts in 630 CE, musicians settled in the northern part of the peninsula (what is now Iraq). From Iraq the Oud spread through the Silk Road to China through Persia and India. The oud also travels to Spain around 700 CE. The oud then becomes popular during the Renaissance (1400- 1600 CE). • What is the connection between the oud and the lute? The lute arrived in Europe with the Moorish invasion and occupation of what is now Spain. The lute becomes popular during the Renaissance (1400-1600) when Europeans thought they were imitating the ancient Greeks and Romans. Though the actual historical pedigree of the instrument is Arabic, they thought of it as being associated with the Greek lyre. 3

3. Ask students what connections exist between the video clip and the artifacts. Prompting questions for this step are: What do all of the artifacts have in common? What type of instrument is present in all of the artifacts? Considering all the places the oud has traveled to, where do these artifacts come from?

Step IV: Rethinking the Analysis of the Artifacts

The students analyze and discuss the information and messages the artifacts convey about the oud, social practices, and the characteristics of a civilization more broadly.

1. Reveal the historical details of each primary source by going through the slideshow with the class. Museum descriptions of each artifact are provided in the notes section of the slideshow. If there is a map in the room plot the date and location of each artifact to provide a visual understanding of how these artifacts are connected.

2. Discuss their initial analysis of the artifacts in comparison with the historical details they have just learned about the artifacts. Listed below are possible areas of discussion:

• What historical details were they surprised by about the artifacts? • What do the artifacts have in common? How are they different from one another? • What does the presence of musicians reveal about a civilization? (The production of musical instruments requires craftsman and thus the civilization is agrarian and is specialized) • How is music portrayed differently in the artifacts? What does this suggest about social practices in these different societies? • What do the artifacts tell us about the role of music within society? • If all of these different civilizations have musicians and have similar musical instruments what does this suggest? (Do not exist in isolation from one another. The trade of goods, ideas and customs is occurring between them. This calls into question the idea of “progress” and of ancient civilizations as less civilized than current day.)

Step V: Concluding Thoughts

Students reflect on the experience of analyzing the artifacts and the purpose of this lesson.

1. Ask students to reflect on what it was like to analyze the artifacts, to act as historians do. What did they learn from this activity? What did they find interesting?

2. Restate the objectives of the lesson so that students are left with a clear understanding of what the purpose was behind this lesson.

Artifacts

Plaque

©Trustees of the British Museum 5

Terracotta bottle in the shape of a female lute player

Plate with banquet scene

Musician dunhuang

Accounts of the Lord High Treasurer of Scotland, Volume III

Portrait of Elizabeth I of England playing the lute

Analysis of the Artifacts

Instructions: Fill in as much of the chart as you can. Some of the information will be obvious, but other information will require careful searching and perhaps interpretation. Some information may not be given at all; simply note “unknown” in such a case.

Artifact 1 Artifact 2

Object type: Is it a sculpture, mosaic, spoon? Materials: What is it made out of? Glass, wood, ceramic? Date: When was it made? I500 BCE? 700-900 CE? Location: Where do you think it came from? Author: Who made the piece?

Description: Describe what you see and/or what the image contains.

Purpose: What do you think is the purpose of the artifact? What was it used for? Why was it created?

Answer Key

* This answer key does not contain historically accurate answers. Rather, the chart is filled with the type of information students will be able to fill in with the image (no labels, titles or descriptions) they have been provided with of the artifacts.

Plaque Terracotta Plate with Musician Accounts of Portrait bottle in the banquet dunhuang the Lord of shape of a scene High Elizabeth female lute Treasurer I of player of Scotland, England Volume III playing the lute Object type: Maybe a Figurine, Plaque Painting Financial Painting Is it a tablet statue records sculpture, mosaic, spoon? Materials: Looks like Looks like Looks like Some kind Paper and Some What is it stone wood gold of paint ink kind of made out of? paint Glass, wood, ceramic? Date: When Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown 1506 The was it made? image I500 BCE? does not 700-900 CE? list a date but based on the clothing they may be able to guess Location: Unknown They may Middle East Asia It says They may Where do know it is East Edinburgh, guess you think it from Egypt so it comes Europe came from? because of from because familiarity Scotland of the with Ancient clothing Egypt Author: Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown – Unknown Who made an – a the piece? accountant painter of some sort 12

Description: Shows a A woman Circular Painting of A page that Oval Describe profile of standing flat object; four people records shaped what you see one person, upright shows a playing spending; it portrait; it and/or what possibly a holding a scene of a musical is a list of shows a the image man, musical ruler being instruments who was woman contains. playing an instrument served, ; they are paid and for sitting on instrument that she waited playing what a chair that looks appears to be upon, and together as followed by which

like a plucking; the entertained. a group; the amount seems to guitar; there object seems There are one is in roman be a is some sort to be several playing an numerals; a throne of freestanding musicians; instrument King is because table/structu because of one is like the referred to of the re beside the base at playing an guitar; they several times crown- him that the bottom; instrument are dressed (“Item to like appears to the object that looks in flowing Rankin object sit on two looks like a robes and Haggoun, be sitting on legs; there smooth; there guitar are wearing the Kingis one of the is is black necklaces command”); armrests; something detailing on and for some of the lady on top of the hair, bracelets; the entries it in the the structure facial the even lists the portrait is but not sure features, painting is day the wearing what it is; instrument, colourful; transaction black the images and arms; on this seems occurred; A clothing on the stone top of her to be only lot of which appear to be head is some one a part musicians suggests popping out type of of a larger are paid – wealth; of the stone; object, the image taubronars, she is the stone maybe a hat, because the lutars, holding seems old, not sure. fourth harpars, what pieces have musician is clarscha, looks like chipped off, cut off fithelars, and a guitar it is worn/ pipars weathered. Purpose: The answer to this question will vary because it requires interpretation of the What do you observations they have made. There is no set answer to the question of “purpose” think is the without further historical research. Thus, for this question each group is being purpose of asked to guess, to come to a logical conclusion based on the observations they have the artifact? made. It would be great to focus in on this question during the take-up of this What was it worksheet to challenge them on their interpretations and to encourage them to used for? defend their stance. Have students self-reflect on how they came to certain Why was it conclusions and become conscious of their positioning in relation to the past. created?

Resources

Plaque: http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectI d=389724&partId=1&searchText=lute

Terracotta bottle in the shape of a female lute player: http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/aes/t/terracotta_bottle_in_th e_shape.aspx

Plate with banquet scene: http://www.english.imjnet.org.il/AllResults?bskeyword=plate%20with%20banquet%20scene&b ssearch=7,0,0,0,0,1

Musician dunhuang: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Musician_dunhuang.jpg http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/articles/c/the_cave-temples_at_dunhuang.aspx http://www.getty.edu/conservation/our_projects/field_projects/mogao/

Accounts of the Lord High Treasurer of Scotland: http://archive.org/stream/accountsoflordhi03scot#page/n9/mode/2up

Portrait of Elizabeth I of England playing the lute: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nicholas_Hilliard_Elizabeth_I_Playing_the_Lute_c._1 580.jpg http://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/person/mp07108/nicholas-hilliard

Travels of the Lute video: The Travels of the Lute site

Please cite this resource as:

Walkling, Laura. “Analyzing Primary sources: Travels of the Lute.”, from Travels of the Lute: A Digital Humanities Resource for Teaching and Learning World History, directed by Mairi Cowan and Elaine Goettler. Toronto: University of Toronto, 2014.